Capturing Love
by FrostedDarkfox
Summary: When Kel gets kidnapped by a crazy duke, what will Dom do? Will Kel get back alive? KelDom First fanfic and I hope you like it!
1. A Beginning

  
As Keladry of Mindelan and Tobeis Boon rode through the woods, conversation was scarce. They were on their way back to New Hope and Neal was still half asleep in his saddle. Though they had known each other for years they were still uncomfortable with casual conversation.  
  
Finally Kel broke the awkward silence, "Who are you looking forward to seeing the most, Tobe?"  
  


Tobe blinked at her, a mischievous grin crossing his face, "Well Gydo, and Loey… and you Lady, who would _you_ be looking forward to seeing the most?"  
Kel blushed at the hint, she knew what he was thinking, but he continued, "A certain cousin of Sir Nealan's, I'd imagine." 

Smiling broadly now, Kel groaned and thought to herself 'have I been away from the Yamani's that long?'  
  
Kel groaned again flushing furiously as she saw who had ridden up to join them. A very sleepy Neal asked, "What did I miss?" with a yawn, stretching his arms, but he seemed to be far more awake now. 'He must have realized that we'll see Yuki soon.' Kel thought.  
  
"Nothing important, trust me." Said Kel as she shot a glare at Tobe which clearly informed him to keep his mouth shut. He took the hint and was silent.  
  
They talked of uneventful but cheery things, afraid that if they stopped talking Neal would start on philosophy or poetry about Yuki's eyebrows.  
  
As they made camp for the night, the three travelers were in good spirits. They would be reaching New Hope the next day with warm baths and good food. When the three finally split off for sleep Kel unfurled her bedroll furthest from the fire. It was a summer night and things were hot enough as it was.  
  
Kel tossed and turned in her bedroll but sleep never came, she finally got up and decided to take a walk to clear her head. She left Neal and Tobe a note so that if they woke up and found her missing, they wouldn't worry. The further she got away, these troubles dropped off her shoulders.   
   
She finally stopped at a slowly gurgling stream; she dipped her hands in and splashed cool water on her face and neck. She had no trouble finding a soft place to sit with the glow of the full moon around her. She leaned back and sighed happily, closing her eyes. She knew better than to fall asleep there, though. As she got up to return to camp a rock struck her down, she was only dimly aware of a large shape approaching her and bending to pick her up before completely blacking out.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

By the time Neal and Tobe woke up the sun was high. They checked Kel's bedroll, only to find her missing. "I bet she's off practicing and lost track of time." Neal said with a yawn, "that's just like her." Tobe wasn't so sure. He checked her bedroll again and found the note. He sighed with relief but wondered why she wasn't back yet.

* * *

When Kel awoke her whole body was one massive hurt. She looked around; she was locked in a cramped and dimly lit room with chains shackled around her wrists and ankles. She rubbed her wrists and then her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Reaching up and wiping her forehead she winced in pain as her fingers collided with the large bruise left by the rock that had knocked her out. Figuring she had nothing to do, she leaned back and fell asleep again  
  
"Is she awake yet?" asked a cold elegant voice.   
  


One of the guards answered, "As far as we can tell, she did wake up, but we heard her moan and she fell asleep again."  
  


The older man gave a piercing hazel stare to the guards to make sure they were listening, locking eyes with both of them. "Send someone to get me once she wakes up again." He ordered and stalked off.  
  


* * *

  
It was now noon, Neal and Tobe were extremely worried. They knew Kel wouldn't just disappear or lose track of time this long. They only come up with a few possible explanations. None of these seemed like likely possibilities so they went out to search for her.  
  
After an hour of searching there was still no sign of her. Neal decided they had to get to New Hope before sundown instead of camping out in the open as a target for any straggling Scanran bandits.   
  


"No," Tobe said defiantly, "We can't leave Kel, not out here."  
  


Neal grabbed Tobe by the shoulders, "Look, Tobe, I can't stand it anymore than you, but we have more of a chance of finding her if we go back to New Hope and get a squad of men to come with us. I _know_ you don't want to leave her, do you think I want to? Kel's my best friend, but I can't do anything here, we need help." 

He walked over to Peachblossom, and grabbed his reigns before he could bite. "Look, you had better behave," Neal said, looking straight into the gelding's eyes, "or we'll leave you behind." Peachblossom seemed to understand but stamped in nervousness as Tobe loaded Kel's possessions on his back.   
  
As the two set out, nothing they did could keep Kel off their minds.  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Keladry opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the now bright room. She moaned softly, the bruise had caused a huge headache. After a few minutes the door to her cell opened quickly to admit a richly dressed man and two guards. They closed and locked the door as the man in charge stepped forward.   
  


'It's a shame,' Kel thought, 'he looks like he could be beautiful, but he chose to be corrupt,'   
  


She continued to stare at him, lost in her own thoughts. He was obviously much shorter than she was, with large hazel eyes and a sneer that seemed to be stuck on his face permanently. He reminded her of Joren, a beautiful face, peeled back to reveal an evil core. The guards had treated him like royalty, but Kel hadn't the faintest idea of who he was.  
  
Finally she spoke. "Who are you?"  
  


He remained calm and said, "You are in no situation to ask questions, but I suppose just this once. I was once more noticeable in a crowd, people would bow... a dreamy look glazed over his eyes as he thought of his golden years. He snapped back into reality, but of course, you wouldn't know me, I am Duke Hilam." 

He continued to talk, but Kel tuned him out. 'Hilam,' Kel thought, 'Neal's mentioned that name to me, but where from?' After a minute or so of thought, Kel remembered, 'Hilam! He was that crazy duke who kidnapped Alanna at the Drell River. King Jonathan defied his father's orders and crossed the river to rescue her. He ended up capturing Hilam and, oh, who was it, Count Jemis? Yes, that's it, and King Roald formed the Drell Peace.  
  
"Hilam," she said without using his title, "why are you working for Scaran when you're from Tusaine, when you're the brother of the KING of Tusaine?"  
  


"Funny you should ask," he replied maliciously, "You see, when my brother Ain died he secretly left the throne to the little vermin, Jemis." His anger was increasing now. "And my dear younger brother decided to banish me for 'attempts to steal the throne'"  
  
Kel was thunderstruck; 'to banish your own brother…' she couldn't imagine someone that cruel. 'Kel, what are you thinking?!' she rebuked herself mentally; 'He has to be the most merciless man would could have gotten a throne!' her sensible brain screamed, 'look at where you are!'  
  
"Now," he said, "I have a question for you."  
  


"Yes?" Kel responded hesitantly, trying to sound bored. She was afraid of his smothered anger but growing defiant because of it   
  


"Who, my dear, are you?" his question was coated with honey, trying to make it seem like a placid inquiry.  
  


Kel saw through this right away and kept her head, "Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked, taunting.

Hilam seemed shocked, but suddenly pleased. He glanced at the pretty girl, realizing that because she wouldn't give her name she would most likely be a noble. He smirked, turned on his heel, and walked out of the room.  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Dom looked down from the walkway, 'Yes, everything in order…Two riders, three horses. Wait a minute, what?" He check again, "Where's Kel?' He ran down to his cousin as they opened the gates. "Meathead, what happened? Where's Kel?"

  
Neal shook his head in frustration and replied sadly, "I don't know." He clearly didn't want to talk about it, but Dom wouldn't leave this alone.   
  


"What do you mean, 'you don't know!?'" Dom raised his voice. "If you haven't noticed, dear Meathead, the girl is over six feet tall! She's not that hard to misplace!" He tried to swallow the growing lump in his stomach, but it was useless.   
  


"Yes, Dom, I've noticed," Neal hissed, "if you come inside Tobe and I will explain it to you as it happened." He clearly didn't want the whole camp to know about this.  
  


"Alright" Dom said, he was a little stunned, Neal had never talked to him in that tone before. He continued to wonder as he let Tobe usher him into an unused office.  
  


* * *

  
Neal and Tobe described what had happened, and once they were done Dom was far from happy. 'What could've happened to her?' Dom thought furiously. He had been meaning to tell Kel about his growing feelings for her when she returned, but now Dom couldn't fight off terrible waves of worry for his friend. His heart was wrenching, he knew he couldn't leave to search for Kel alone. 

He commented aloud, trying to keep his voice calm without betraying his true feelings, "Did you even bother to contact Lord Raoul? You know he'll want to be here, Kel is like a daughter to him."  
  


"If you hand over some paper, I'll write to him now," Neal said, "Just find Yuki and tell her that something came up." He sighed as he sat down.  
  


* * *

  
Kel spat on the stone floor to get the fresh blood out of her mouth, they had beaten her, trying to get any information to pass her lips, 'How long has it been, days, or weeks, or months?' she thought to herself miserably, 'I can't remember the last time I saw Raoul, or joked with Dom, or even talked with Neal.' She sighed, the whole situation seemed hopeless. 

She knew Neal and Tobe wouldn't have been worried when she was first missing, 'because that dratted note.' Kel cursed herself again for being so responsible.

They had been torturing her for weeks now, but she had been careful, all she had let slip was that she was from New Hope and she had friends who would miss her if they decided to kill her. 

Hilam grew furious with her silence, but he had the girl where he wanted her. Friends in high places meant high ransoms. He finally set his mind to follow the conventions of war, 'though I certainly didn't with that squire long ago, and look where it has gotten me,' and ransom her.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~

The midmorning watch called out, "Messenger bird flying in from the north!" 

Dom hurled himself up the stairs as fast as he was able; he got there in time to pull the note off the bird's leg before anyone else touched it. 

He was about to tear the note open and read it when a voice behind him said, "Dom, hold on, every time we've received any letter for two months now, you've been on the messenger as soon as you could. I believe _I_ will open this letter." Raoul firmly tugged the folded parchment from Dom's closed fist. 

He opened it calmly saying, "Not that I minded," he chortled, "you destroyed three perfectly good invitations to my aunt's house." But as he read the letter his eyes got bigger and bigger, his mouth opened in disbelief.   
  


"Raoul?" Dom asked curiously, trying fruitlessly to peer over the giant's shoulder, "What is it?"  

"It's Kel," Raoul answered slowly, "They're ransoming Kel."

* * *

From there, everything went quickly. Dom realized as he looked over a room of people pulling things together, 'I'm not the only one who cares for Kel.' The only sounds in the room were rustling papers and people whispering, 'Raoul loves her like a daughter, Neal like a sister, Tobe like a mother, and Yuki like a best friend.' Without warning a tear leaked out of his eye. He brushed it away roughly with the back of his hand, not wanting anyone to see. He remembered her every detail of her face, every color in her hair, every fiber of her being. Dom wanted to be able to hold all of it in his arms as his own.


	5. Chapter 5

Finally the day came. Two lines of soldiers, both varicolored, filled the field. Among the Tortallans: Raoul, Merric, Tobe, Neal, and Dom formed the center of the group. Their line was bright with colors, mail, helms, and weapons glinting in the late afternoon sun, and most men atop fine mounts. 

The Scanran soldiers were a little worse for wear. Their scraggly horses head aloft only the richest of commanders, common soldiers only had what they could afford, mainly ripped shirts, rusted swords, and decrepit armor. 

On one horse, though, was a woman. She was thinner than usual, wearing the same clothes she had disappeared in, and she had her arms roughly tied behind her back and a cloth sack pulled over her head with the ends of her hair unbound sticking out. She had soldiers on each side, holding the reigns of the horse to make sure she couldn't go anywhere.  
  
One man who seemed to be the commanding officer urged his mount forward a few paces and called, "Send over the ransom, and we'll send over the girl!"  
  


Raoul's face was impassive but he yelled back, "First her, then the ransom!" he voice easily reached the ears of every man there.  
  


Unwillingly, Hilam nodded to the guards, they sent Kel's forward, for Dom time seemed to stand still, and all was silent except for the slow plodding of the horse. He would have rushed forward, but Neal's tight hold on his arm prevented any movement.   
  
Not keen on waiting, Raoul hurried his horse and brought Kel back behind the line of soldiers. He motioned for the soldiers to send over the ransom and carefully cut the bag off Kel's head. There were bruises and cuts covering her face and neck, some old, others new, but all were colorful and a painful reminder of how long she'd been gone. 'Probably more over the rest of her,' thought Dom, he was furious that they would even consider torturing a noble.   
  
She showed signs of recognizing Raoul and Dom heard her forced whisper, "It's Duke Hilam, milord," before she collapsed against the neck of her horse in a dead faint.

* * *

  
When Kel next awoke, it was mid afternoon. She pulled herself up slowly, and reached for the water jug. She had drunken half of the pitcher before she felt better. 

After looking around she realized she was in the infirmary of New Hope. She lifted arms that felt like lead to inspect her condition. All the bruises and gashes from being beaten were healed, 'Neal,' she thought. Strangely, the thought of him brought stinging tears to her eyes. 'Have I been gone that long? she sniffed.

A shuffling noise drew her attention, she looked over, and in a small chair by the door sat Dom's cramped body, his head nodding back, he was asleep. 'How long has he been here?' she asked herself, crying openly now. She pulled her arms around her legs and cried into her knees, shaking slightly.   
  
The next thing she heard was, "Kel?" Dom had woken up, "Kel! Thank the gods you're alive!" he rushed over to her and hugged her as tightly as he could. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again, you hear?" Kel was simply content to wrap her arms around him and cry into his shirt. Dom pulled away, "You have no idea how much we've missed you," he said softly, "especially me."  
  
Unluckily for Dom, Neal walked in, "Kel!" he yelled, disturbing their peace, he ran back outside to shout, "Kel's awake everyone! Kel's alright!!" He ran back in and hugged her, too. Within minutes a large crowd of people were trying to fit into a very small infirmary, all eager to hug Kel and make sure she was in one piece. They had to stop their welcomes short though, because in a few minutes Kel swung her legs over and tried to stand up.  
  
Neal nearly screamed, "Good gods, Mindelan, where do you think you're going?"

"To get something to eat, of course," Kel said, her tone sharp, "is that alright, oh great healer?"

"Well, I guess." Neal said sheepishly.

"Good." She stood up, a little dizzy at first, "Excuse me," she said as her crowd of friends stared at her, "but, if you don't mind, I'm famished." The sea of people laughed, this was the Kel they remembered, and parted for her. She walked out with Dom following close behind, steadying whenever she faltered. 


	6. Chapter 6

Over the next few weeks, Dom was as good as his word. Anywhere that Kel went, he went. He was her escort and made sure she got better, watching any move she made. He never asked what had happened over the course of those two months, and Kel was grateful that no one brought up the uncomfortable subject.   
  
One afternoon she walked into Raoul's temporary office, "I'm going for a ride," she stated, "No one treats me normally anymore, they all seem to think that I've turned to glass. I need to get out and think."

"I won't lie to you on that, everyone was worried, but someone_ is_ going with you." Raoul told her firmly. 

"Fine, I'll be in the stables if they want to find me," she called over her shoulder as she walked out.

* * *

As she had guessed, Dom walked into the stables a minute after her. He took her hand and bowed to her saying, "Domitan of Masbolle, personal bodyguard, at your service, my lady."   
  


Kel hid a giggle with her Yamani mask and told him seriously, "Alright, but you have three minutes to saddle up, or I'm leaving you." She broke into a grin as she mounted Hoshi. 

"Actually, milady, you can't leave without me. Lord Raoul gave explicit instructions so that the only way the gates of your little fort will open is if I am in tow." Kel had to smile at Raoul's ingenuity.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~

After a half hour of easy riding Kel slowed and dismounted, "This looks like as good a place as any other," she said. Dom nodded and followed suit. They were in a shaded grove with patches of sunlight piercing through in places.

Dom picketed the horses as Kel sat down against the trunk of a tree. Dom came and sat next to her, turning so he could watch Kel's face as he thought. 'Goddess, she's beautiful,' he smiled as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back with a sigh of pleasure. Dom wished he weren't so shy to her! 'With any other girl but Kel, I can open my mouth and say anything. But she just throws me so off balance!' He curled his fingers together, angry at his own foolish timidity, 'I just have to take a breath and say it!'  
  
When a few minutes had passed, Kel sighed again and said to him, "Dom, why are you staring at me?"

"Because you're beautiful." That got Kel smiling, but she still didn't open her eyes. He moved so his face was only a short distance from her.

"Really?" she asked, she obviously thought he was teasing.

"Without a doubt, I love you Kel." Now _that_ got her to open her large hazel eyes, she was even more surprised as Dom leaned forward to kiss her softly and gently. 

  
When he pulled back he opened his eyes to find her blushing and smiling with a mixture of delight and excitement in her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love you too, Dom." she said as he leaned forward for another kiss.

  
  


* * *

  
I hope you liked it! It's my first fanfic!


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